Dispensing device with means to create a percussive effect



Aug. 22, 1961 H. A. CHINCHOLE Filed April 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 faxem Mama.

Aug. 22, 1961 H. A. CHINCHOLE 2,997,215

DISPENSING DEVICE WITH MEANS TO CREATE A PERCUSSIVE EFFECT Filed April22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United S tes T 2,997,215 DISPENSING DEVICEWITH MEANS TO CREATE A PERCUSSIVE EFFECT Henri A. Chinchole, 46 RueOctave Mil-beau, Paris 17, France Filed Apr. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 730,129Claims priority, application France Jan. 20, 1958 7 Claims. (Cl.222-261) fibrous body, the first emptying pulsations are efiicient,

but when approximately two-thirds of the drum is exhausted, the level ofthe grease sinks, in the'form of a funnel and the forcing pump loses itspriming as soon as the air penetrates to the bottom of the funnel.

This inconvenience is partially eliminated by disposing, on the surfaceof the grease, a follower disc formed by a circular horizontal platetraversed by the pump and which, by atmospheric depression forces thegrease to descend as a uniform whole. The inconvenience of this sort ofdisc is that it must adhere completely to the surface of the greaseotherwise the air pockets incorporated dilate on depression and the discno longer plays its part. In addition the extraction of theseatmospheric discs from the bottom of the drum raises a difiicult andsome times insoluble problem.

The general object of the invention is to create a grease pump whichdoes not present the above-mentioned inconvenience shown by pumpsalready in existence.

For this purpose, the grease pump according to the invention, which isof the type including a follower plate, is remarkable in that the bodyof the pump is incorporated with the said plate, by preference coaxially with this latter.

The invention also relates to the method of realization calling for atleast one of the following features of novelty:

(a) The piston of the grease pumpis operated by a motor also carried bythe follower plate;

(b) The pump motor is an alternating compressed air motor;

(c) The motor is placed vertically and, at the end of the downwardstroke, its mobile part strikes a stop provided on the follower platewhich causes a-percussion effect favorable to the uniform shaking downof the grease;

(d) The rod of the motor piston is integral with the follower disc,while the mobile cylinder serves as a percussion mass; 7 (e) The pistonrod is hollow and servesto conduct the compressed air to the motor; V

(f) The air motor piston is formed of a set of two elementary singlestroke pistons, integral one with the other, one of these elementarypistons being the operating piston which assures the lifting ofthemobile part of the motor and, at the same'time, effects the workingstroke of the grease pump; while the other elementary piston, or returnpiston, cooperates with the weight of the mobile part of the motor tomake it descend;

(g) The return piston, which is of a smaller section than the operatingpiston, is permanently subjected to the pressure of compressed air,while the operating piston is only subjected to it during its downwardrun, the two v 2 elementary piston then forming, during the saidoperational stroke, a differential piston; j

(h) The alternating supply of the compressed air nee essary for theworking of the motor is assured by a distributor integral with one ofthe parts of the motor and comprising at least an inlet valve and anoutlet valve operated by means of a control connected to the other partof the motor;

(i) The distributor is integral with the mobile cylinder of the motorand forms part of the percussion mass;

(j) The working piston is situated over the return piston and thedistributor, placed on the upper part of the cylinder, is connected tothe lower end of the return piston permanently fed with compressed air;

(k) Air is admitted in the return cylinder by means of a cross-canalpierced in the piston rod, just under the lower surface of the returnpiston, and which has its outlet in an axial canal of the said pistonrod, the said axial canal being connected to a compressed air supply;

(I) The outlet of the grease pump cylinder is equipped with an aircoupler;

(m) The grease delivery chamber of the pump contains a discharger valveof which the outlet communicates with the space under the followerplate, and which is pushed into its closed position by a membrane sub:mitted to the pressure of the compressed air admitted to the motor, sothat when the supply of compressed air is stopped, the said dischargervalve allows the pressure to fall in the grease delivery pipe; v

(n) The follower plate, at least in its central part which carries thebody of the grease pump, is in the form" of a bell;

(o) The circumference of the follower plate is equipped with a sealingjoint intended to rub against the inner wall of the grease drum;

(p) The grease pump piston is fixed in the centerof a cross-piece placedunder the follower plate. The ends of this cross-piece are connected bytwo vertical rods sliding through the said plate and integral with themo-f bile part of the vertical alternating motor, the stroke of the saidgrease pump piston being long enough for it to emerge completely fromthe body of the pump, at the base, at the end of its downward stroke andthus permit the grease to enter in the said pump body;

(q) The follower plate is mounted in such a way as to be able to slideon the vertical guides integral with a supporting base situated underthe said plate and widely open to let the grease pass through;

(r) Each of the vertical guides is constituted by a jack, by preferencepneumatic, intended to act at the same time for the raising of thefol-lower plate and of the whole" motor mechanism, after exhaustion ofthe grease;

(s) The piston of each jack is integral with the supporting base and thecylinder integral with the follower plate;-

(t) The follower plate is pierced by an air-hole;

(u) The air-hole is equipped with a connection for a compressed airsupply in order to assure the beginning ofthe separation of the platefrom the bottom of the ex-f hausted grease drum;

(v) The air-hole is supplied with compressed air by a duct connected, bymeans of a tap, to the air supply ofthe pneumatic jacks. I'

The invention will be understood better after perusal, of the followingdescription and examination of the an:- nexed drawings which show, byway of an unrestrictivejl example, a method of realizing this invention.

In these drawings:

FIGURE 1 represents diagrammatically, in diametrical; vertical section,a percussion follow-up pump for vehicle greasing, according to theinvention, disposed in a drum supposed to be already empty;

, FIGURE 2 is another vertical section of the. same;

3 pump, made along a perpendicular plane of the plane section of FIGURE1; and

FIGURES 3 and 4 are sectional views, on a larger scale of certain of thedetails of FIGURE 2.

The percussion follow-up pump for vehicle greasing according to theinvention, essentially comprises a supporting base 51, a follower unit52 which carries the body of the pump 53 and an air motor unit 54 whichat the same time serves as a percussion device.

The supporting base 51 includes the cross-pieces 56 suitably stayed anddestined to support the whole pump unit when this latter is not in thegrease drum, or else when the drum in which it has been placed isexhausted. The jack cylinders 58 and 59 slide on the two pneumatic jackrods 57, of which the lower ends are integral with the supporting base51. Each jack rod 57 is constituted by a tubular component closed at itstwo ends. The cylinders 58 and 59 of the two jacks are fixed, by theirlower ends, to two diametrically opposed points of a disc or followerplate 20 which constitutes the principal part of the follower unit 52.The upper end of the jack cylinder 58 is blocked by a stopper 61, whilethe upper end of the jack cylinder 59 is connected to the nipple 15comprising the compressed air inlet. In addition the lower ends of thetwo jacks are connected by a duct 18. The follower plate 20 is piercedby a hole in which is screwed a coupling 21 also connected by a pipe 62and a lateral valve 19, to the mouth-piece 15 (see in particular FIGURE3). The valve can be brought temporarily into the open position for aslong as one presses on the push button 63, in opposition to a releasespring 64.

The diameter of the follower plate 20 is sensibly equal to the interiordiameter of the drum 40 of the grease to be distributed, so that it canslide in the latter. A tubular toric joint 65, placed in the annulargroove 66 of the plate, assures the tightness between this latter andthe interior wall of the drum.

The central part of the follower plate 20 is in the form of a bell andsupports the grease pump body 53, the piston 24 of this pump being fixedin the center of a mobile cross-piece 68 itself fixed on the two lowerends of two vertical rods 22, 23, which slide through the base of. thepump body which forms the summit of the central bell of the followerplate.

The upper ends of the two rods 22, 23 are fixed to a flange '69 whichconstitutes the lower part of the motor unit. 54. This flange slidesvertically on the two single stroke pistons and 6, together forming adiiferential piston fixed on the upper end of a hollow rod 2 which isscrewed on the upper part of the pump body 53. Between the shoulder ofthe rod 2 and the upper face of the pump body an annular stop 71 isimprisoned, fitted with an elastic washer 26 aganst which the lower faceof the flange 69 of the motor and percussion unit, strikes.

The motor unit 54 is essentially constituted by a cylindrical body 72, aconical nose 38 fixed to the lower part of this body 72, by screws 73, acylinder head 74 fixed to the upper part of the said body by screws 75,and a distributor 76 fixed on this cylinder head by screws 77. Thecylinder body 72 is fitted with a liner sleeve 7 which slides on the bigpiston or motor piston 6, while a sleeve 4 fixed on one hand to theconical nose 38 and on the other hand to a centering ring 79 integralwith the sleeve 7, slides on the small piston or return piston 5. Thecasing space comprised between the two pistons 5 and 6 is incommunication with the atmosphere by the holes 81 of the centering ring79 and by the holes 82 of the conical nose 38.

The alternating supply device of the compressed air motor contains anannular admission chamber 14 provided in the distributor 76 and closedby an annular covor 83 maintained in place by a screwed stopper 36 whichhas an axial canal serving as an exhaust outlet for the compressed airfrom the motor. The distributor 76 is covered by a cylindrical hood 32,forming a damper, pierced by holes 84 and maintained in place by screws85.

The distribution is carried out under the control of two inlet valves.10 and a situated in the inlet chamber 14. The closing of these inletvalves is governed by release springs (not shown). The valve rods areintegrally connected with a transverselyextending blade spring 86 itselfbeing rigid with a pin 87 mounted in a cam socket 88 which slidesaxially in the head 74 of the cylinder 72 under the action of a controlrod 89 which itself slides in the two piston units 5 and 6. The pin 87slides for a short stroke in the socket 88 and the rod 89 slides in thepistons for a run inferior to the stroke of the cylinders on thepistons, so that at the end of each of these latter strokes the controlrod 89 is lifted or lowered a small distance in relation to the bottomof the cylinder and to the distributor. To this eifect the lower end ofthe control rod 89 is equipped with a head 91 which strikes eitheragainst the upper end of the rod 2, or against the lower end of a hollowstopper '92 screwed in the huhb of the big upper piston 6.

The exhaust outlet valve is formed by a cylindrical packing supportingmember 9 integral with the upper end of the pin 87 and the seat of whichis formed by the lower edge of the pierced stopper 36. Owing to thisarrangement, the inlet valves are shut when the outlet valve is open andvice versa. The free opening and shutting of the valves is assured bymeans of a dead center passing device which, in this example, isconstituted by a double-conical cam resulting from the exterior form ofthe socket 88 which cooperates with two toric springs 35, 35a, axiallyretained in the decks of the bottom of the cylinder and of thedistributor. The two springs 35 and 35a are formed by coiled springsrolled in the form of tori.

The compressed air is fed to the motor, from a nipple 1, by way of apipe 93, a chamber 94 provided in the pump body 53 (see FIGURE 4), aduct 96, an axial duct 97 in the rod 2, the transverse duct 98 (and backto FIGURE 1), an annular chamber 3 and an ascending duct 11 in theconical nose" 38, a vertical duct 12 in the cylinder body 72, a canal 13in the distributor 76, the inlet chamber 14 and thence into the bigcylinder. This cylinder 7 is, therefore, in communication alternativelywith the compressed air supply and with the atmosphere. On the otherhand, the lower face of the small piston 5 is permanently subjected tothe pressure of the compressed am As a result, when compressed air isadmitted to the big piston, the motor and percussion unit 54 is liftedby a force equal to the dilference of the pushing forces exerted by thecompressed air on the big and small pistons, while, when this-big pistonis on discharge, the percussion unit is pushed toward the bottom by boththe compressed air pressure on the small pistonand the weight of themobile unit. Thus there is provided a novel single-stroke pneumaticmotor the return stroke of which is carried out by the use of compressedair.

As for the grease forced by the piston 24 in the pump body 27, it passesby a check valve constituted by a ball 101, a chamber 102, an ascendingpipe 28, a flexible hose 29 and a control valve 30.

With. the view of reducing the pressure in the grease delivery pipe,when the compressed air pipe is not connected to the opening 1' of theapparatus, a grease return circuit is provided which comprises, fromchamber 102, a valve 103, a chamber 104, a pipe which opens into theinside of the bell of the follower plate. The two chambers 94am! 104 areseparated by a membrane 106 subjected on 'one ofits faces, by theintermediary of a part 107, to the action ofa spring 108, and to thepressure ofthe'inlet air and, on its other face, to the action of a part109 which bears against the valve ball 103 sub-{ jected in-consequence;to the grease pressure. Assoon semis as the compressed air admissionceases at the opening 1, the pressure of the grease in the chamber 102is then capable of opening the valve 103 and the said pressure falls.

An exhaust tap 42, of any suitable classical type, mounted on the wallof the chamber 102 permits the discharging of the air which is found, atthe beginning, in the bell of the follower plate, in the pump cylinderand in the said chamber which constitute the high points where the airbuilds up. This device is exceptionally handy for priming up the pump orrepriming it in case of loss of priming during the course of theoperation.

The general arrangement of the whole is such that when the motor unit isin its lowest position, the grease pump piston 24 has emerged completelyfrom the pump cylinder 27 in order to permit the grease which is foundin the bell of the follower plate to penetrate into the pump body fromall sides, as a result of the vacuum prevailing in the said pump body.

An envelope 112 of slightly larger dimensions than those of the greasedrum 40 and only partly shown on FIGURE 2, protects and covers the wholeapparatus.

The apparatus functions in the following manner:

After having removed the cover of a drum 40 full of grease, the wholeunit is placed on the upper surface of the grease. Its weight forces itdown, so that the grease rises through the spaces of the base 51 andpenetrates into the bell 52 of the follower plate 20.

. First of all the air is expelled from the bell by means of thedischarger tap 42, as explained above, and this operation can berepeated during the first strokes of the pump. 1

It should be supposed that the apparatus is found in the position shownon FIGURE 2, that is to say that the outlet valve 9 has opened, whichoccurs when the motor and percussion unit 54 is at its highest point inrelation to the fixed parts, namely the pistons 5, 6 and the hollow rod2. The charge of compressed air contained in the chamber formed by linersleeve 7 is suddenly emptied into the atmosphere by the hollow valveseat 36 and the openings 84 of the damper 32 (FIGURE 2). At thisinstant, the grease piston 24 lifted by the two rods 22 and 23(FIGURE 1) has completely penetrated in the body of the pump 27, forcingin front of it the grease contained therein. The cylindrical chamberformed by liner sleeve 4, which is always under pressure because it isconnected in permanence to the source of air, becomes filled withcompressed air which has the efiiect of forcing downwardly the moblepart of the motor unit until the part 25, having slipped along thehollow member 2, strikes the abutment stop 26 (FIGURE 1). Pushed by thetwo rods 22 and 23, the grease pump piston emerges completely from thepump body 27 leaving a wide open passage 37 of the full diameter of thepump cylinder whereupon the grease, drawn by the vacuum, which hasformed in the pump body 27, rushes in and fills the latter. Thus,contrary to conventional pumps of this general classification, there isno inlet valve for the grease, such valve being rendered needless by thecomplete emergence of the piston 24 from the pump body 27.

The shock of the moble part of the motor on the stop 26 is propagated inthe disc 20 under atmospheric pressure and causes -a slight movement ofthe latter downwards in the drum corresponding to the quantity of greasewhich has been expelled by the body of the pump 27. This mechanicalaction is intended to complete and to aid the descent by depression inthe case where undesirable air pockets between the grease and thefollower plate 20 should otherwise interfere with this descent.

In arriving at the lower limit of its run the mobile unit 54 drives inthe control rod 89 and its head 91 comes to strike on the upper end ofthe rod 2. The double-conical cam 88 passes through the springs 35 and35a and the outlet valve 9 closes, while the inlet valves 10 and 10aopen at the same instant, The compressed air therefore penetrates intothe cylinder 7, which tends to raise the mobile unit but this lifting isonly possible when the compressed air is driven out of the cylindricalchamber 4 by the small piston 5. The difference of sections of the twopistons makes this possible and the air going the opposite way to theway by which it arrived is not directly exhausted from the pump butfurther used by passing from the cylinder 4 into the ducts 11, 12, 13and penetrates with the incoming air into the cylinder 7. The motorstroke begins with a force proportional to the pressure of the air onthe piston 6 decreased by the counter pressure on the piston 5. Themobile part progressively slides upwards along the length of the hollowrod 2 drawing the grease piston 24 towards the top by the intermediaryof the two rods 22 and 23. The grease is driven into the body of thepump and from there, directed by the pipe 28, the flexible hose 29 andthe control valve 30 onto the mechanism to be lubricated.

It is therefore a question of a single acting air motor with a returnpiston, the return movement accomplished by the application ofcompressed air, the motor being connected by its mobile part to a greasepump which is also single acting. The alternative movement, slow whenupwards and rapid when downwards, with shock at its lowest point,effects the required hammering causing the progressive driving down ofthe atmospheric disc in the grease drum, this grease always remainingcarefully rammed down because of the hammering. It should also be notedthat the two vertical draw rods 22 and 23 connected to one another by across-piece 68 heat continuously inside the cone 52 and work the greasecontained therein. This working changes the texture of the greasecontained in the cone 52 and renders its admittance by suction in thebody of the pump 27, easier. The role of the percussion is therefore notonly to render easy the filling up of the pump but mainly to obtain thedrawing up of the grease into the cone 52 where the working is efiected.This action continues until the at.- mospheric disc reaches the bottomof the drum 40.

To release the disc and bring it up through the empty drum, it is onlynecessary to disconnect the air connection at 1 and connect it up to 15.The air then enters the cylinders of the two jacks 58 and 59 connectedby the pipe 18 and their action tends to separate the follower plate 20from theempty drum. At the beginning the resistance to the separation isconsiderable and no jack could overcome it. The small lateral valve 19is then operated by finger pressure to allow a small quantity ofcompressed air to penetrate under the atmospheric disc by the opening21. As soon as the separation has commenced, the two jacks 58 and 59,finish off the operation of lifting up the follower plate until itleaves the drum.

It will be noticed that, the pump being stopped, as soon as the handle111 of the control valve or grease gun is operated, the pressure fallsin the grease delivery circuit and the motor starts up immediately underthe pressure of the compressed air always present in the supply circuit.The shutting of the grease gun immediately provokes a rapid rise inpressure of the grease contained in the delivery circuit, including thepump body 27, until this force is equal to that of the compressed air inthe motor. At this moment this latter stops.

It is clearly understood, of course, that the invention is not limitedto the system of utilization shown and described here which is givenonly as an example, numerous modifications lie within the scope of thespecialist without overstepping the limits of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for the automatic dispensing of lubricating grease or likesemi-solid substances from a drum or similar container, said devicecomprising, a follower plate adapted to rest upon the upper surface ofthe grease contained in the drum and to be supported thereon atprogressively lowering levels as the supply of grease is depleted, apump supported by said follower plate and having intake means openingbeneath the plate and discharge means above the plate, said pumpcomprising a cylinder fixed to said follower plate and a plunger adaptedto reciprocate in said cylinder to force grease through said dischargemeans, a reciprocating cylinderand-piston fluid pressure motor alsocarried by said follower plate and operatively connected with the pumpplunger to reciprocate the latter, one of the relatively reciprocatingparts of the motor being fixed to the follower plate, an abutment onsaid follower plate, and the other or mobile part of the motor adaptedto strike said abutments at the end of its downward movement, thusexercising upon the plate a percussion efiect favorable to the settlingof the grease and the avoidance of cavitation adjacent the intake meansof the pump.

2. The device set forth in claim 1 in which the operative connectionbetween the pump plunger and the motor comprises means for supportingthe pump plunger from the mobile part of the motor, the lower end of thepump cylinder being completely open and the plunger adapted to enter andcompletely withdraw from said cylinder during its compression and returnstrokes respectively whereby the resulting vacuum in the cylindersuddenly upon withdrawal of the plunger serves to draw additional greaseinto the pump cylinder at maximum capacity, the parts being soproportioned and arranged that the maximum opening of the cylindercoincides with the moment of percussion, thus aiding the normal pumpvacuum in presenting renewed quantities of grease to the cylinder intakeend.

3. The device set forth in claim 1 in which the motor piston issupported on a vertical axially disposed rod which is fixed withrelation to the follower plate, and it is the motor cylinder assemblywhich constitutes the part of the motor giving the percussive effect. a,

4. The device set forth in claim 3 in which the meta is provided withtwo vertically spaced pistons fixed to said rod, one of said pistonsbeing the pump-operating piston which, upon pressure fluid being appliedto the portion of the motor cylinder in which said piston is contained,serves to raise the-mobile cylinder assembly of the motor and at thesame time effect the discharge movement of the pump plunger; while theother of said 8 motor pistons, with fluid applied to the portion of themotor cylinder in which the latter piston is contained, serves to addforce to the weight of the cylinder as sembly to cause it to descendrapidly during the return stroke.

5. The device set forth in claim 4 in which the two pistons of the motorand their respective cylinder portions are of different diameters thusconstituting a differential piston assembly, the return stroke pistonbeing the smaller of the two and continually subjected to the fluidpressure, the larger operating piston being subject to fluid pressureonly during the upward movement of the mobile pump and motor parts, butoverbalancing the pressure on the smaller return piston at that time.

6. The device set forth in claim 5 in which the intermittent supply ofpressure fluid for the operation of the motor is provided by means of adistributor carried by one of the motor parts and comprising an inletvalve and a discharge valve, means for operating said respective valves,and means carried by the other of said motor parts for actuating saidvalve operating means at proper intervals related to the stroke of themobile parts, the distributor being carried by the motor cylinderassembly and thus adding to the mass of the mobile percussive parts.

7. The device set forth in claim 6 in which the distributor is mountedat a point above the level of the return piston, and conduit means isprovided for placing the distributor in communication with the cylinderportion upon the side of the return piston which in continuallysubjected to the fluid pressure.

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